THE FORLORN HOPE•A SeaSagaof the Sixties

BY

FRANK CLUNE

MELBOURNE

THE HAWTHORN PRESS1945

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Thisstory of SevenMen in a Boat is adaptedfromthe narrativeof J. P. Stow, which was publishedin the SouthAustralian Advertiser in 1865, andlaterprinted in theProceedingsof the Royal Geo-graphical Society, London, Vol. 10. An enlargedversion was publishedas a book in 1894, but thishas long beenout of print. I have told the taleanew, making some use of Stow’s descriptive

phraseology,but without quotationmarks,deemingthis generalacknowledgment

fully sufficient.

P.C.

THE FORLORN HOPE

It was a hopelesspropositionfrom the beginning.In July of the year 1863 the Colony of South Aus-

tralia annexed unto itself 523,620 square miles ofcountry in North Australia,namingit ‘~TheNorthernTerritory.”

This ambitiousland-grabwas a direct resultof JohnMcDouall Stuart’s exploring expeditions,culminatingin his completecrossingof the Australian continent,from south to north, in 1862. This great feat wonStuartthe prize of £2000 offered by the South Austra-hanGovernment.Actually, Burke andWills had beatenStuart.in: the transcontinentalrace,but they cI~d.not

6 THE FORLORN HOPE

live to tell the taleor to claim theprize.Nobodycouldgrudgethe awardto Stuart,who thoroughlyearneditby crossingthe continentnot once but twice. He re-turnedon his own tracksthroughthe arid Centre,andarrivedback in Adelaide on the sameday as the deadbodiesof BurkeandWills—which werebroughtin fromCooper’sCreekby ExplorerWilliam Howitt.

StuarthadreachedtheNorthernCoastandhadlavedhis handsin the watersof Van Diemen’s Gulf in July1862.

The coastlinehad beenpreviously charted,in 1839,by CommanderWickham, in H.M.S. Beagle,who hadnamedtheAdelaideRiver andPort Darwin.Somethingal~owas known of the NorthernTerritory’s interior,sinceLeichhardt,in 1845,andA. C. Gregory, in 1856,

•hadrapidly traversedpartsof it.But whenStuartarrivedtherefrom SouthAustralia,

on 24 July 1862, the vast Northern terrain had nowhite inhabitants.In earlier yearsBritish military gar-risons had beenposted.temporarily •at Melville IslandandPort Essingtonto deterforeignersfrom aggressing,but thosegarrisonshadbeenwithdrawn—aftersufferingseverelyfrom the climate—longbeforeStuart arrived.

Somethinghad to be done aboutthat Empty North—and South Australia decided to do it. The lure ofacquiringhalf-a-million squaremiles of land, just forthe trouble of taking it, was too big for the SouthAustraliansto resist;

They bit at the bait and got hooked.South Australians were extremely land-conscious.

Their Colony had been foundedin 1836 as the directresult of .the theoriesof EdwardGibbon Wakefield, aland-crankwho urged that virgin earthshould be soldat £1 an acreand the proceedsdevotedto encouragingimmigration, thus creating a ~perpetualboom. The

THE FORLORN HOPE 7

Colony went bankruptin its first few years,until the“fixed price” theory was dropped.Then the colonists,startingwork in earnest,paid off their debts, turnedthe corner,and havenever looked back since.

It was the fertility of the SouthAustraliansoil andthehardworkof thepioneerswhich savedthe situati6n.Wealthcomesfrom sweat,not speculation.

But cranky theoriesdie hard. By the year 1863 theColony of South Australia was well “set,” but therewere still thousandsof peopletherewho held fast toWakefield’sideaof landas wealth-in-itself.

They believed there is some magical law by whkhland simply mustincreasein capital valuewhen peoplesettleon it, andthat thosewho getin first with titles ofownershipcan’t fail to makea fortuneout of “develop-ment.”

;~ To thepeoplewho hadthis ideathe VastOpenSpaces~ of the “Empty North” made an irresistible appeal.

Stuart’s journeysclinched the matter. Therewas un-•boundedenthusiasmamongthe land-cranksof Adelaidewhen South Australia annexedthe “Northern Tern-

:~ tory” in July 1863.

OCCUPYING THE EMPTY SPACES

Although Stuart had blazed an overland trail, thedifficulties of the 2000-mile route throughthe Centrewere too great to be overcomein the initial stagesof

• • populatingthe North by migrationfrom theSouth.• It was decidedto sendadvancepartiesby seato sur-

vey the PiomisedLand and to, do the necessaryspade-work. ..

• . In April 1864, the pioneer party, consistingof 41Governmentemployees,wasready to set sail from PortAdelaidein the ship Henry Ellis. This partywas undertile commandof Colonel Boyle TraversFinniss, who

8 THE FORLORN HOPE

hadthetitle of “GovernmeiitResidentof the NorthernTerritory of SouthAustralia.” .

Finniss was to be Dictator Absolute, for the timebeing, of the New Possession.His task was to occupythe siteof the proposednewcapital,city, which was tobe namedttPalmerston~~as a compliment to Britain’sForeign Secretary,Lord Palmerston.

The site of PalmerstonCity was pre-selectedby theGovernmentof South AustraliabeforeFinnissdeparted.

•His main task was to survey town blocks at “EscapeCliffs,” on the estuaryof the Adelaide River, whichflows into VanDiemen’s Gulf at Adam Bay.

It wasa coincidencethat theAdelaideRiver, in NorthAustralia, 2000 miles from Adelaide City, in SouthAustralia, had been namedafter Queen Adelaide,.theConsort of King William IV, but explorershave a•fancy for royal nomenclature—which.explains thecoincidence. • •

• The Adelaide River had been explored by a boat-party from H.M.S. Beagle in 1839, and was shown on

THE FORLORN HOPE 9

the chantsas navigablefor a considerabledistancein-land. At EscapeCliffs, on the banksof the estuary,acomic incidenthadoccurred,whensomejolly jack-tarsfrom the Beagle, who had landed without weapons,were ambushedby aboriginescarrying poised spear~.The jack-tarsdanceda sailor’s hornpipcto appeasethenatives,and so avertedthe attackby amusingthe abo-riginessomuchthat theyforgot to throwtheirspears.

All omens were propitious as the Henry Ellis sailedfrom Port Adelaide with the pioneerparty on board.At a• banquetbefore sailing some wag remarkedthatthe Latin word “finis” had •a punning resemblancetothe surnameof Colonel B. T. Finniss. To avert this ill-omen,it was suggestedthat the motto of the pioneers

~: should be FINIS CORONAT OPUS, meaningeither “The:~End Crowns the Work” or Finniss is the Man for the~ Job—takeyour pick.

The AdelaideRiver was only 2000 land-miles fromAdelaideCity—but therewas a desertbetween—sothe

~ HenryEllis hadto sail 4000 sea-milesto reachherdesti-nation, going eastabout,with calls at Melbourne,Syd-ney, Brisbaneand ThursdayIsland. After a voyageof

~ two months,thepioneersof Palmerstonanchoredin theAdelaideRiver on 21 June1864.

Stores, tools, tents and baggagewere landed, and acamp was built at EscapeCliffs. Then the Henry Ellissailed away, leaving the pioneersto get on with theirjob of surveyingthe city.

Then their troublesstarted.The map-makersof the Beagle,beingmariners,had

correctly charted the estuary of the Adelaide Riverfrom a sailor’s point of view, but had not looked at thebanks with landlubbers’eyes. The site of PalmerstonCity, shownon theBeagle’schartsas forestedland,wasa morassof mud and mangroves!

10 THE FORLORN HOPE

What was Finniss to do? Being a soldier, he decidedto carry out orders,mud or no mud, mangrovesor nomangroves,so he instructed the surveyorsto get onwith theirwork—which theydid, peggingout the cityblocks in theooze.

Meanwhile, the land-cranksof Adelaide got busyselling optionson the blocks to a gullible public, eagerto get rich without working. Mugs in hundredsboughtMangrove Allotments “on spec,” thinking themselveslucky to be in on the groundfloor. The optionsweremarketedalso in London,wherethesoft-heartedBritishinvestorsalso fell for thelure of the inevitably-comingland-boom.

Maroonedin the mangroves,and maccratedby mos-quitoes,Boyle Finnisshadno quick meansof communi-cation with hissuperiorsin South Australia,to informthem of the real stateof affairs and get fresh instruc-tions. His men grew mutinous and quarrelsome,butFinnisswas a military martinet.He kept them at theirfutile work and carried out his original instructionstothe letter.

DISILLUSIONMENT

A secondcolonising party departedfrom Port Ade-laide in October 1864, six months after the pioneers.This party travelled by the charteredsteamerSouthAustralian, and also went eastabout,via Melbourne,Sydney,BrisbaneandThursdayIsland. TheyarrivedatAdam Bay in December.

The new arrivals, 40 in number, were nearly allGovernmentofficials, but threeof them were privatesettlersseekinga fortune and experience.

Onewas a Germanscientist, who was accompaniedby his wife and child. He was mainly interestedinmeteorology. The other two free settlers were Mr

THE FORLORN. HOPE 11

• Stuckeyand Mr J. P. Stow, experiencedSouth Austra-lian colonists. A surveyor of the Governmentservicealsobroughthis wife andchild with this party.

High were the hopesof the newcomerswhen at lasttheyanchoredin Adam Bay, andsaw thetentsandhuts—ashoreat EscapeCliffs shimmeringin tropicmidsummerhaze.

Thencamethe disillusionmentsa-plenty.Thesteamerhadto anchoramile anda half from the

shore,and whenthe tide went out a desolatemud-flatlay atween. A party of the pioneerscame out in adinghy to welcomethereinforcementswith a lugubrioustale of mud, mangroves,mosquitoes,malariaand mis-management.

EscapeCliffs, 30 feet abovesea-level,was a hillock—the only high groundin a morassof swamp.The wetseasonhad set in, and most of PalmerstonCity wasunderwater. In thesteamyair the newly-arrivedhope-fuls gaspedfor breath—andgaspedstill morein despairand astonishmentat what theysaw and heard.

But hope springsstrong in the hearts of empire-builders.TheSecondContingentlandedandthesteamer

• which had brought them steamedaway. Now there• werefour-scorewhitesin the theoreticalcity of Palmer-

ston. Mangroves-bound,the little communitywas iso-lated and left to fend for itself. The next relief-shipwas not due for severalmonths.

Therewasno wayof escapeandno practicablemeansof communicatingwith the civilised world. Horsesandequipmentwerenot availablefor any attemptto reachQueenslandor South Australiaby overlandroutes.Thewet seasonmade it impossible for the Palmerstoniansevento probetheinland regionsof the Territory, whereExplorersGregoryand Stuarthadreportedgoodpastoralcountry. They were simply boggeddown in the mud

12 THE FORLORN HOPE

of their malarial metropolis, and had to• stay there—mealsfor mosquitoes.A small party in a dinghy wentup the AdelaideRiver at Christmastime, looking for •ahealthier camp-site-—butfound only more mud andinangroves,for miles andmiles.

Therewas no escapefrom EscapeCliffs. Thenearestwhite settlementswere at CapeYork, 600 miles to theeast, and at CamdenHarbour, 600 miles to the west,wherea charteredcompanyof colonistsfrom Melbournewasmakinganexperimentof its own in tropical land-development.To reach either CapeYork or CamdenHarbourwould have beena good idea if the Palmer-stonianshad possesseda seaworthyboat—butthey hadonly dinghies,and Boyle Finniss kept a close guard onthose.TheywereGovernmentproperty.

Monthsof maddeningmonotonywent by.

IZIASCO

On 8 April 1865,H.M.S. Beatrice,a naval surveyingvessel, arrived from Adelaide with mail—and withinstructionsto Boyle Finnissto look for another&te forthe City of Palmerston.

The Resident immediately despatcheda party onhorsebackto examinethe foreshoresof Port Darwin,wherethe Beatricealsoproceeded.Thescoutsreturnedeight dayslaterwith gloomy faces.They reportedthatthe landaroundPort Darwinwas uselessfor pasturageor agriculture,and that its possibilitiesas the sitefor ametropolis was, distinctly limited. Boyle Finniss there-upon decidednot to shift campfrom EscapeCliffs.

This ,decisionplungedthe pessimisticPalmerstoniansinto incurablegloom. Most of them now had oniy onethought—howto get out of the NorthernTerritory,by hook or by crook. It was plain that the colonisingprojectwasafiasco.More than£40,000hadalreadybeen

THE FORLORN HOPE 13

sunk in theoozeof theAdelaideRiver. This representedmorethanhalf thecashthathadbeenraisedby advanceselling of “Land Orders.”Obviously the investorswouldlose all their money,and therewould be ructiousreper-cussions.ThetropicalParadiseof Palmerstonhadturne~

• into a Purgatory for doomedshareholders.

EXODUS

On20 April therelief-shipBengalarrivedfrom Ade-laide with mails and provisions, including a flock ofsheep. She was on her way to the NetherlandsEast

• Indies.Forsixteendayssheremainedat anchorin AdamBay, discharging hercargoby lightering it ashore.

Thetemptationwastoo greatfor someof thePalmer-~ stoniansto resist.Thirty of them booked passagesby

the Bengal to Singapore,intendingto make theirwayfrom thereback to Adelaide. It was a roundaboutwaybf gettinghome—butbetterthanstayinga~Palmerston,

i~ thedesertersreasoned.Of the fifty remaining colonists about forty had

made up their minds to leave at the first favorable?~ opportunity, but thoughtthe route via Singaporetoo

circuitous.Theyconsoledthemselvesby writing blister-ing letters to thenewspapersand to theGovernmentinAdelaide, exposing the fiasco of Palmerstonand thefutility of Finniss. These scorching epistles would becarriedby theBengalandwould reachAdelaidea coupleof monthslater;

Amongthosewho did not bookpassageby theBengalwasMr. J. P.Stow,a Justiceof thePeace,who had“.j.r.”

both fore and aft of his monniker.He was one of the• threefree settlerswho had arrived by the South Aus-

tralian . in December.Four months of mud-squattinghaddampenedhis ardor, but hadnot completelykilled

14 THE FORLORN HOPE

it. Hestill hadhopesthat good countrycouldbe foundby explorationalong the coast.

To Mr Stow, seatedin his tent, wistfully looking atthe anchoredBengal, came a man with a proposition.The visitor wasArthur Hamilton, a fed-up young sur-veyor in the Governmentservice.His proposalwas thata whaleboatshould be purchasedfrom the skipper oftheBengal,and that a partyshould be madeup, led byMr Stow, to explorethe coastwestwardsfor 600 miles,as far as the settlementof CamdenHarbour.

“It’s rathera forlorn hope,” said Mr Stow, “but I’mwilling to try it!”

THE FORLORN HOPE •

Five other mangrove-satedcolonistswere invited tojoin the boat-party,and acceptedthe invitation withalacrity. Two of them were seamen,the other threeemployed in the GovernmentSurveying Service. All.wereof good physiqueand stout-hearted.

Going aboardthe Bengal—still at anchorin the bay—Stow negotiatedwith the skipper, a simple-mindedSwede,for thepurchaseof a boat.Theskipperwasnotas simple-mindedas he looked.His price was £60, take•it or leave it—a staggeringsum in those daysof cheaplabor and cheapcommodities—butthe buyerswere atthe seller’s mercy,so the dealwas done.,

The boat, like the skipper, wasmadein Sweden.Shewas23 feetin length, 6 feetacrossthebeam,and 2 feetdeep,with two mastsand spritsails,and threepairs ofoars.

OnMay 4—two daysbeforetheBengalsailedaway—the purchasewas completedand the boat broughtashore. •

Energetically,the seven,menmadereadyfor anearlydeparture.They.fittedwashboardsandsomedeckingat

THE FORLORN HOPE 15

bow andstern, also a jib-sail, and madelockersto holdprovisions.

Then they namedher—THE FORLORN HOPE.Therewas much head-shakingamongthe onlookers

at this nameof ill-omen, but the satirical sevenwer~esatisfiedthat the namewas appropriate,so theykept it.

On May 6, after the Bengal’sdeparture,the Forlorn-1-lopers put their luggageand provisions aboardtheirlittle vessel. They had 200 lb of biscuits, 120 lb oftinned beef, 70 gallons of water, and some firewood.Thegearincludeda camp-ovenand an iron bucketforcooking,alsoseveralshot-gunsandammunition,fishing-lines andhooks,maps,charts,compassesand sextants,asmall medicine-chest—andtwo bottles of beer.

Towardssundownof thatsameday, thewholepopu-lation of Palmerston—excepttheGovernmentResident,

~, Boyle Finniss, and a couple of his senior officials—~: assembledon the shoreto bid the sevensturdy adven-

turersGod-speed.Theywereleavingon the tide, which•was nearly full.

• ThePalmerstonianswerealso full, as theytoastedtheForlorn Hope and her crew in beer which the Bengal

~, had brought.After manycheersand beers,the sturdy sevenwent

aboard.Their nameswere:J.P.Stow, j.r., leaderof the• party; Arthur Hamilton and William McMinn, sur-

veyors and navi~ators;JohnWhite and JamesDavis,seamen;CharlesHake and Frank Edwards,surveyors’chainmen.

JohnWhiterwho hadbeenin the pilot servicein Vic-• toria andSouthAustralia,wasappointedSailing Master• —and a good manhe was, too, at handlinga boat.

All aboard,andrenewed beery cheerscame from thePalmerstonianson shoreas theflag of the Forlorn Hopewas raised to the masthead.

16 THE FORLORN HOPE THE FORLORN . HOPE 17

It was a pennant with a strange device: FINISCORONAT OPUS. -

With all sails set and colors flying, the staunchlittlevessel moved away‘slowly from the shore in a lightbreeze,amid achorusof “hoorays” from theCliffites.

“They are bound for the coral reefs and the mer-maids!” wailed a Palmerstonianpessimist,overcomebyemotionand beer.Soonthe oozycity was out of sight.

Darknessfell asthe Forlorn Hopereachedthe mouthof the• Adelaide River and anchoredawhile near thecampof aparty of surveyors‘~rhowerefutilely engagedin layingout theboundariesof amacabresuburbnau’wd

• “South Palmerston.”The boatmen went ashore andcampedthat night with the surveyors, sharing theirsandflies,which voraciouslynibbled nightlong.

Next morning, 7 -May 1865, the two bottles ofBarleyExtractwere boozedas a final farewell toast.

Then the Forlorn Hope sailed through the Narrowsat the river-mouth, and was soon tossing on the openocean.

The two casksof Adam’s Ale, 35 gallonseach, and acase of photographic apparatus—whichbelonged toHamilton andHake-wereplacedandsecuredso as tomake admirableballast.

With the two spritsails and the jib bellying in thebreeze,shebowled alongbeautifully, White and DavI~taking turns at the tiller, while the other five lazed inthe shadeof the sails.

It was a perfectpicnic. Early in the afternoontheypassedthe Vernon Isles, taking the inner channelandgoingover shoalscautiously,but without mishap.Thenheigh-hofor the• openseaagain! Night fell, the moonrose and spreadits silvery light on the watersgentlylappingin thepleasantbreeze.The wanderersdozedanddreamed,rockedin the cradleof the deep.

Next day the five land-lubbers in, the crew tooklessonsin handling the helm and thesails, so as to easethe • work of the two seamenand safeguard theirstrength for emergencies.Throughout the voyage,onemanwas constantlypostedat the bow on the lookoutfor reefs and shoals—thegreatestperil in those coralinfestedwaters. •

Thesurveyorspunctiliouslyshot the suneachday atnoon—tocalculatelatitude—butthey did not needtobotheraboutlongitude, as they were coastingand had

• a copyof theAdmiralty chartsof that region,fromwhich they could quickly fix their position bylandmarks. , .

C

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I ~

I ~I ‘r~-J

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WESTWARD HO!

With a favorablebreeze,the Swedishboatbowledmerrily along,riding the waveslike a duck. She wasrather too heavily laden andwas low inthewater, but this would improveas the ~stores were consumed. Skipper JohnWhite had carefully “trimmed the dish.”

11/IN /~4111

.1

18 THE FORLORN” HOPE

PassingPort Darwin andPattersonBay, theseafarerssteeredfor AnsonBay, wheretheyintendedto landanddo abit of exploring.Roughweathercameup andtheyhad to anchorfrequently amid shoals, particularly atnight-time..Therewere plenty of fish to be seen—butthey wouldn’t bite, and so the poor sailors got none.Their diet was bully-beef, stewedin the bucketwhichwas hung above the camp-oven,in which a fire waskindled. ,

On May 13—after being six days at sea—thepartylandedat Anson Bay andboiled’ the billy on the beach.Theyspent two days ashore,exploring up to five miles

- inland, but found no good pastoral prospects, onlyswampsand rank grasses,with plenty of “paper-bark”treesandgiant anthills. The gunmenshot somepheas-ants, plover, teal and snipe,which were grilled, andmadea deliciousvariant to the bully-beef diet.

All aboardagain on May 15, and the Forlorn Hopesailedalong the coastthirty hours, thenanchoredat’asandy beachbetweenCape Domber and Cape Hay,within sight of the BarthelemyHills, near the borderof WesternAustralia. ‘ ,

At sunriseon May 17 the boatwas beached.Stow,McMinn, White and Davis went exploring, trying toreachthe BarthelemyHills, but got bogged in rushesand reeds,wheretheywere bittenby leechesand stungby wasps.After flounderingfor hourstheygaveup the‘attemptandreturnedto theboat,shootingsomeploverson the way. . ‘ ,

That was the end of their land-exploringambitionsand of their ‘hopes of finding good country in South

• Australia’sNorthernTerritory. ‘

(eHome,sweet home”~was now the motto, as theylaunched the ‘Forlorn Hope and set a course whichwould take them out of sight of the land across the

• THE FORLORN HOPE 19

wide mouthof the CambridgeGulf, into WesternAus-tralianwaters.Theywere boundnow for the settlementat CamdenHarbour,an outpostof civilisation.

Phosphorescentanimalculesillumined the sea.As theForlorn Hope sailed on, westwardinto the nigl~t,sheleft in her wake a pathwayof pale fire, with myriadsof blue sparks,a ghostlyiridescence.‘ .

• TURNING THE CORNER

Thepassageacrossthe wide maw of Cambridge~ulftook a day and a night of close-reefedsailing, for ‘theseaswere high and mighty. The boat seemedto standon end as she climbed the mountainouswaves, thennose-diveddown the other side—but the Swedewhohad built her knew his job. He was probably a de~scendantof Vikings.

At dawn on May 19 the Forlorn Hope was safelyacrossCambridgeGulf and, scudding along the northcoastof WesternAustraliaat ~ greatbat, passedCapeLondonderry’sbold promontoryand’ came at nightfallin sightof CapeBougainville, the corner-pegof north-

~‘ ‘western Australia, where the coastlinetrends away to~ the south-west. ,

Now theywere all set for a fast run to CamdenHar-bour—sothey thought—but,instead,they had a slow’run into CapeBougainville’s archipelago.

Islands,islandseverywhere!The Forlorn-Hopershadhopedfor a picnic cruisethroughthis archipelago,withpleasantstrolls ashoreon an island here and an islandthere,as fancymight dictate,for a feed of turtle-soupor a turtle-omelette,and perhapsa bathe in a fresh-

‘water rill, ‘neathmurmuring palms.Alas for the harsh difference betweenfantasy and

reality! The islands were , surroundedwith mazesofrazor-edgedcoral reefs,on which the breakersboomed.

20 THE FORLORN ,HOPE

Theywere almostunapproachable,exceptwith infinitecareand at a great risk. Trying to get away from theshoalsnear the coast,Skipper White stood out to sea.Twelvemiles from CapeBougainville, theForlorn Hopestruckon a coral reef andstuck fast, with, breakersallaround.

Bump, bump; grind, grind, went the Swedishsoft-woodon thefierce coral teethof the reef—butthe sea-menwith masterlyhandlinggot her off andaway, justin time. Theysailedback eastwardinto VansittartBayand anchoredfor the night of May 20 on a sandspit,infive fathomsof water,abouthalf a mile from the land.

,‘Next day theytried again,but, as theseawas rough,theyran into the lee of TroughtonIsland and, findinga beach,theyput theboatashoreand went for a strollon terrafirma. Alas, no turtles! Therewere plenty onthe other islands,but not on this one.

The weather moderated,and the Forlorn-Hopersstartedagainon May 22 to threadtheir way throughthecoralmaze,or aroundit. They,steerednorth all dayinto openwater, thenmadea westeringrun at night—and ran slap-banginto anotherreef. Getting the boatoff, ~they anchoreduntil daylight, then saw islands,

• islands,islandseverywherearoundand aheadof them.• ‘ Therewasnothingelseto do exceptrun thegauntlet,

sailing among the shoals and keeping a keen,lookout,tacking,backingandfilling—rowing wheneverthesail-ing got too dangerous—riskingdisasterall the time.

For live’ daystheyploddedwarily throughthe archi-pelagoon a south-westerlycourse,passinghundredsof

• islands and islets. Some were several miles in extent,others mere jutting rocks, columnir, square,’smooth‘and ‘fretted; some had vegetation,others were quitebare; some were.rangy, some conical, some round oroval,’,someflat-topped;someslopedgentlyto thewater’s

THE ‘FORLORN HOPE ‘21,

edge, some were bold and’ cliffy; some had sandybeaches,easyof approach,others were guardedby bar-riers of reef. ‘ ‘ , ‘

Infinitely diversified were theseislands,but infinitelylonely. No sign of life appearedon theirshores,scarce~y•a sea-birdhovering.They seemedabandonedby Natureto everlastingdesolation.Onwardsthe marinerstoiled,’anxiousfor openoceanagain.Turtlesandfish cavortedaround the boat, but couldn’t,be caught.Provisionswere almost ex~’iausted.Therewas nothing left exceptsometea,sugar,and a packetof maize-meal.

At nightfall on May 28, afterpassingoverareef that• boiled like a cauldron, the weary wanderersanchored

undera ridge of dark rock in eight fathoms,with softbottom. They calculated’that they were nearCamdenHarbour,but the chartswhich they had were utterly

~ unlike the reality they were encountering;and they• didn’t know wherethe harbourmight be.

~ Next day theyrowedthrougha narrowand tortuouspassagebetween islands, and came out on~a broad

~ stretchof land-lockedwater. In the distancetheydes-~ criedthe sail of a small boat. ‘~ CamdenHarbour!~ They had reacl~edtheir destination—civilisationat~ last—after a journey of 23 days from the mangrove

metropolis of Palmerston.

CAMDEN HARBOUR,

Approachingthestrangeboat, theyhailed it ‘and layalongsidefor a pow-wow.

It was mannedby a crew under commandof MrCowle,surveyor,who was taking soundingsof the har-bour for chart-making.

Thecrewhada remarkablydull anddespondentlook,which,greatlysurprisedthe travel-wearyrefugeesfrom

22 THE FORLORN HOPE

Palmerston.They had expectedto find a thriving andprosperoussettlementat CamdenHarbour; but des-’pondentMr Cowle soondisillusionedthem. The situa-tion at CamdenHarbourwas worse,if anything, thanthat at Palmerston.Anothergreatschemeof colonisingthe “Empty North” had gone phut—or was on the.vergeof phutness.teThe sheepare nearlyall dead,thecountryworthless,‘and the wholesettlementa failure,”said pessimisticMr Cowle.

Sailing up the harbour towards’the ,~settlement,thehungryForlorn-Hoperspassedthe wreck of the Calli-ance,a vessel which had struck on a reef outsideandhad founderedhalf a mile from the landing-placeinsidethe bay.’

Thesettlementcame,in sight, acollection of hutsandtentson a red cliff, with a rangeof mountainsin thebackground.A crowd quickly gatheredat the landing-placeas the strangeboatapproached.A young manina dinghy cameout and boardedthe Forlorn Hope.Hewas the son of the GovernmentResident,Mr Sholl.

eeWheredo you comefrom?” he asked.“PalmerstonCity,”

answered Mr Stow,J.P.

eeThe devil!” ex-claimedyoung Sholl.“Are ‘things so bad ___________ ________

there that you must _________________

‘come here? Thenthings at Palmerston

.must indeed be verybad!” ________

“They are,” said ______

Stow. “In fact, they _____

couldn’t be worse,”

- -• ,-___

-~----

___ 1~~

THE FORLORN HOPE 23

“Wait till you’ve seen our settlement,”said youngSholl, despondently.

After the first’surprisethewayfarerswere madecor-dially welcome. Mr Stow and the two surveyorswereinvited to stay at the GovernmentResident’shouse,while the other four menwere hospitablywelcomedinsettlers’,homes. ‘ ‘ ‘ , -

Forfive daystheForlorn-Hopersremainedat CamdenHarbour,listening to the colonists’ tales of woe. Thisventure of Melbourne land-speculatorswas utterlydoomed.’Thepeopletherewere merelywaiting for the

- first chanceof getting away from a spot where theyhad met with nothingbut disasterand ruin. Therehadbeen several deaths from sunstrokeand a calamitousmortality amongthe sheepthat hadbeenbroughtfromtheSouth.Thetropicalgrasswasrank,but lackednour-ishment valuefor stock.The few sheepthat remainedalive were in agony from the heat. Their feet seemedburnedby thestonyterrain.At night theirpantingwaslike roaring. Anotheridealisticattemptto populatetheVast OpenSpacesof the Empty North had collapsedin fiasco.

Insteadof waiting for the relief-ship—whichmightnot comefor months—theForlorn-Hopersdecided toresumetheir open-boatvoyageandto makefor thenextsettlement,at Nicol Bay, some hundredsof miles fur-ther south.

They,obtainedprovisions sufficient for this journey *

andgot a new anchorandrudderfitted.‘On June3 they set sail, but did not clear Camden

Harbour until 4 a.m. ‘next day. Setting their coursewest-south-west,they stood out to sea.’The land re-ceded,andwassoonout of sight. ‘ ‘

“Heigho for Nicol .Bay!” sang the seven merrymatiners—bi,itthencameastormwhich blew’ them200

24 THE FORLORN HOPE

miles out to sea, and they were all aloneon the vastydeepof the Indian Ocean.At sunriseon June9 theywere in a dreadfulcross sea, laying-to with, a leg-o’-mutton sail andbaling for their lives aswaveafterwavesplashedinto the boat,half-filling it at times. The seaseemedterribly ‘grand in its elementalpower to thesevenmencaughtin its grip. Thelongswell, the moun-tain wave, the deep hollow, the white foam—asfar asthey could see ‘was a wild watery disorder. Up onemomentpoisedupon the crest of a mighty wave, thendown theyslitheredto a churningchasmwhich seemedcertain‘to engulf them—but the bowsprit just kissedthe water—andup rose.the Forlorn Hope to a newgiddying height, riding the buckingWhite HorsesofOld Man Neptune.’

‘Snakes‘were floating on thebillows—realones,up tofive feet in length, yellow with black spots.For fourdays the storm continuedunabated.The sevenmen inthe boat “were cramped with rheumatic pains, wetthrough, scarcely‘daring ‘to changeposturefor fear ofdisturbingthe boat’s precariousbalance-notdaring tosleep,expectingat any momentthat thewalls of waterwould swallow them.-’

They‘cut off the mainmastand let it float away.OnJune’12, duringtheday, thestorm abatedandthe

victorious Forlorn Hope scuddedalong in a strongbreezeundera close-reefedforesail,makingfor the land.

At noon on June14 the coastwas in sight,,latitude19 degrees45 minutes 54 seconds.At nightfall the an-chor was droppedin four fathoms, off a long sandybeachon which the surf pounded.

It wastoo risky to attemptbeachingtheboatthroughthe heavy rollers, so the salt-soakedseven’slept onboardandup-anchoredatdaylight,steeringwest-south-west.They riggeda jury-mastfrom an oar and sailed

~‘rr~-IE’. FORLORI’ HOPE :25

for ‘-three’days“and three nights along the low-lyingsandycoastwithin hearingof the heavysurf. ‘

On June19 theyenteredNicol Bay in the afternoon,‘and sailed along-its rocky shoreslooking for the settle-inent. Night fell and they anchored,’unableto find-asafe landing-place.Next day they searched,for t~hesettlement,but found it not—so they beachedtheboatandlanded.It wasthe first time theyhadstoodon terrafirma since leaving CamdenHarbour seventeendayspreviously. - • ‘ ‘ ‘

After distendingthemselveswith porridgeand sconesthe Forlorn-Hoperstrudgedinland for two miles across

•a plain, andclimbed a hill which gavea wide view—ofdesolateand barrencountry, with no sign of a settle-ment. There’iwere.white‘men’s tracks, but they were

- old. Next day they sailed acrossthe bay and exploredits southernshores.Still no sign of the settlement,so•theylandedagainand attemptedto questiona friendlytribe of aborigines, using sign-language— but thenatives-could tell them nothing about any Europeansettlementin that vicinity.

Actually therewas no settlementat Nicol Bay, SQmiles to the north,,and they had passedby it at night-time on their way down the coast.

I. ,‘ Now they were in latitude 20 degrees47 minutes 18seconds,and therewasnothing else to do exceptput toseaagainandmakefor the port of Geraldton,in Cham-:pion Bay, a long and ruggedjourneydowna dangerouscoast. ‘ . ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

After a feed of oystersand grilled pigeon, the per-•sistentsevenup-anchoredat daylight on June23 andsteeredfor the opensea and for its perils, known andunknown. ‘ ‘

Confidentof thewave-worthinessof their vessel, thevoyagers,were worried now mainly about their ‘food

26 THE FORLORN HOPE

supply. They had only’ 60 lb of flour and 22 lb ofweevily rice—notmuchto feedsevenmenfor a journeywhich might last a month if weatherbecameadverse.They decided to ration themselvesto half a pint ofmixed flour and ricepermanper day,makingskily inthe billy so that it would seemmore.

Snakesand porpoises followed the boat, sea-birdshovered, and an occasional turtle came tantalisinglynear—butnot nearenoughto get into the skilly-pot.Thewinds werevariableandprogressslow. On thefifthday theylandedon an island andgot threefish-hawk’seggsand some firewood. Into the pot went the eggs,giving the skilly a tasty flavor—more taste thannourishment. -

Now theysailed acrossthe mouthof Exmouth Gulfand approachedanothercontinental corner-peg—theNorth WestCape,wherethe coast trendsfrom south-west to duesouth. They roundedthe Capeat noon onJune 30—a week after leaving Nicol Bay—and randown theCoastat a distanceof abouteight miles fromshore. ‘ ‘

On July 2 theywerein latitude24 degrees22 minutesandwere fairly out of the tropics.Thenightswerenowcold, with dew, and the winds eddied all around thecompass.Next day they nearedDorre Island, and Stowshotsix shags—someon thewing andsomeon thewave.

• Ravenouslythe marinerseyedthese rank-fleshedbirdsas theygatheredthem into the boat.JackWhite baiteda hook with the headof one of the shagsand caughta

- queerfish, weighing 12 lb. It hadno scales,but a shinyskin with black spots. It looked poisonous.Quickly re-baiting,White caughttwo moreof thespottedhorrors.

A hungry belly has no conscience,so the starvingsevendecidedto land onDorreIsland andmakea shag-‘and-spotfishstew.

THE FORLORN HOPE 27

As they anchoreda shoal of schnappercame aroundthe boat.With a spotfishbait, White caughtone—thenanother—thenanother.The schnappersnappedas fastas the line could be hauledin and thrown out again.In28 minutestheyhad28 beautiesaveraging5 lb each.

Throwing away the spottedhorrors,but keepingthesix shags, the Forlorn-Hopers hastened ashore andgorgedtheschnapper,grilled and boiled, till theycould

,gorgeno more.Then theylay downandslept for hours—no wonder,as they estimatedafterwards.that theyhadeaten.about7 lb eachat that deliciousmeal.

For the next three or four days they dined onSchnapperPrinces—variedwith schnappers’roes—asthey kept on coastingsouthwards.The sea had beencruelandstingy—butnow it wasgenerouslybestowingits abundanceon the men who had trustedthemselvesto its bosom.Theuneatenshagswere still in the bottomof the boat in caseof emergency.

Sailing across’Shark Bay, the schnapper-satedsevensawDirk HartogIsland onJuly 5. Theydecidedto passby it on the seawardside as they were unsureof thechannelbetweentheisland and the main.

A sleepy, good-tempered’whale spouted alongsidethem—andtheylet him spoutin peace.SharkBay livedup to its nameas sharksswarmedaroundthe Forlorn

~‘ Hopeanddroveawaytheschnapper.Snakesstill floatedon the billows, and now albatrossessoaredeffortlessly

R- overhead. ‘

The schnappersupply being now exhaustedit was.decided,on July 6, to cook the shagswhich had beenshot threedayspreviously. Stow and Davis cut up thebirds andstewedthem with rice. Theflesh was red andrank, the odor overpowering.It hung about the boatfor days,and all creationseemedto be flavored withshag. Two of the crew abstained;but the other five

28 THE FORLORN. HOPE

guzzled a bucketful of shagstew.and said it was de-

licious—far preferableto the insipid schnapper.JOURNEY’S END

So the sevenmen in a boat sailed past GantheaumeBay and Houtman’sAbrolhos, thencameon July 8 toChampionBay, thehavenof theirdesire.In thedistancethey saw the solid housesand cultivatedgreenfields ofa settlementthat wasno miragebut a prosperousreality.In thesixty-threedayssinceleavingPalmerston’smuddyshore they had travelled a sea-routeof 1600 miles,lengthenedto 2000 miles by the deviationsthey hadmadehereand thereon the way. -.

Thebeardedand wave-wearywandererswerewarmlywelcomedby the peopleof ‘ChapmanBay settlement,.who thoughtat first they were ship-wreckedmariners.Fifty willing handshelped to drag the Forlorn Hopeonto the beach,andsoonthe sevenschnapper-and-shagspecialistswere warming themselveswith a rum-toddyin Barton’s Hotel on the beach.

• Thencamea policeman,with scowlingmien. WesternAustraliawasat that time still a British Crown Colony,pioneeredwith convict labor. Thepolicemanwastakingno chances.He was sceptical of the story that theForlorn Hopehadcomefrom Palmerston,and deducedthat the visitors were convict runaways.

“Are you theringleader?”he scowledsurlily to Stow.Stow scowledback and growled: “Chop off the first

syllable and I’ll answeryour question!” .

“Well,~theleader, then?” ~imendedthe law’s minion.“Yes.”“Have you any papers,,’to prove, your identity?”Triumphantly, Stow produced the Forlorn Hope’s

clearance,from ‘CamdenHarbour,and the zealouscop-per retired’ in confusion. • • • . ‘

THE, FORLORN HOPE 29

The striving ‘and thriving seaportwhere they hadlandedwas namedGeraldton.It consistedof about60houses,nearly all built of stone,with two hotels,severalchurches,sto’res, a gaol and a jetty, a flagstaff, and aprosperoushinterlandof farms,with a coupleof coppermines for good measure.

What a difference from the farcical tropic settle-ments of Palmerston and CamdenHarbour! Aftersprucing themselvesup, the newcomersrushedto theMechanics”Institute and eagerly read the newspapers.They were severalmonths in’ arrears,and soon weresatedwith sensationsas theyreadof the assassinationofPresidentLincoln in theU.S.A., andof thebushrangersMorgan, Ben Hall and Gilbert in N.S.W.Bloody deedshad’ been done while the’ Forlorn-Hopersswelteredonthelonely seas,far from civilisation’s sensations.

After recuperatingfor a week in Geraldton,five of~t the party sailed for Fremantleas passengersaboarda

timber-barge—aslow-sailing old tub. They took theForlorn Hopewith themasdeck-cargo.Thetwo photo-graphers,Hamilton and Hake, remainedin Geraldtonand starteda fizzog-takingbusinessthere.

Five days’ ‘slow sailing brought Stow and’ his fourmatesto Ftemantle,‘where they sold the Forlorn Hopeto the skipperof a merchantvessel,who promptly cap-sizedit in the harbour—whichshows there’is a knackin handling a boat.

Up the ‘Swan River by steamerto Perth, 12 miles,then acrosscountryby coach, 255 miles, broughttherefugeesto Albany, where they boarded’the steamerRangatira,and so arrived back at Port Adehide onAugust12—just‘over threemonthsaftertheirdeparturefrom’ Palmerston. ‘

In the ensuingructions, Boyle Finniss was recalled.PalmerstonCity was abandonedto the crocodilesand a

30 ‘ THE F9RLORN HOPE

new city surveyed at Port Darwin. This was also a“flop” at the start,and theLondonshareholdersinsistedon having their moneyrefunded. -

Things looked up in 1871, when the OverlandTele-graphLine was constructedfrom Port Augustato PortDarwin—but the Northern Territory didn’t reallybegin to boom until the Air Age madePort Darwininto “Australia’s Front Door”—andthenit boomedstillmore when the Nips startedknocking at the’ FrontDoor with bombsin 1942.‘Today— in 1945— the Northern Territory is no

longer lonely and remote. It is quickly accessiblebystrategic highways, and can be reachedby air fromSouth Australia in a day. Tensof thousandsof Austra-lian troops stand on guard in what was once “TheEmpty North.” Theheartbreak—andbackache—ofthepioneersis almost forgotten.

Yet a tribute of memoryis due to thosesturdy menof the 1860’s—the forerunnerswho failed—for theirmistakesshowedlate-cornerswhat to expectand whatto avoid.

The voyageof the Forlorn Hopewas a great featofseamanship,courageand endurance,consideringall thecircumstancesin which it was made.Thoughnot com-parablein dramaticinterestwith theopen-boatjourneysof Bligh, from Tahiti to Timor in 1789, and of theBryants,from Sydneyto Koepangin 1791, thevoyageof the Forlorn Hope makesan appeal of its own tostudentsof Australia’s history and terrain. It was

• crowned with success,and madewithout seriousmishap—but is none-the-lessmeritorious for that. Therearesomehistorians who emphasiseonly the tragic aspectsof Australian exploration—gloating over the failuresandglossingover themanysuccessfulfeats,which were,achievedby good management,skill and endurance.

THE FORLORN HOPE 31

Well did thesevenmenof the Forlorn Hope live upto their motto—FINIS CORONAT OPUS. They took a bigchance,and theyknew it. If anythinghadgonewrongthere would havebeen none to succour them in thoseunfrequentedand then little-known waters—but theybattledthroughto victory againstthe long odds.

That’s the spirit that madeAustralia what it is, andwhat it will be. The Knockout Ends the Fight—FINIsCORONAT OPUS.

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THE FORLORN HOPE

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